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Brian Cox is an Emmy Award-winning Scottish actor. He was born on June 1, 1946 in Dundee, Scotland, to Mary Ann Guillerline Cox, maiden surname McCann, a spinner, and Charles McArdle Campbell Cox, a shopkeeper and butcher. His father was of Irish ancestry and his mother was of Irish and Scottish descent.

Cox first came to attention in the early 1970s with performances in numerous television films. His first big break was as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter (1986). The film was not overly successful at the box office, although Cox's career prospects and popularity continued to develop. Through the 1990s, he appeared in nearly 20 films and television series, as well as making numerous television guest appearances. More recently, Cox has had roles in some major films, including The Corruptor (1999), The Ring (2002) and X2: X-Men United (2003). He was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2003 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to drama.

As a director, screenwriter, and producer, four-time Academy Award nominee Michael Mann has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema. After writing and directing the Primetime Emmy Award-winning television movie The Jericho Mile (1979), Mann made his feature-film directorial debut with Thief (1981), followed by executive producing the television series Miami Vice (1984). He went on to direct Manhunter (1986), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Heat (1995), and The Insider (1999), Ali (2001), Collateral (2004), a film adaptation of Miami Vice (2006), Public Enemies (2009), and Blackhat (2015).

As a producer, Mann's work includes Martin Scorsese's The Aviator (2004), Hancock (2008), Texas Killing Fields (2011), and the HBO series Luck (2011) and Witness (2012). He has been a member of the Directors Guild of America since 1977 and has served on the DGA's National Board.

Stephen Lang is a distinguished and award-winning actor who commands considerable respect and is equally at home on the Broadway stage, on television, and in film.

Though he is arguably most well-known for his acclaimed performance in James Cameron's Avatar (2009), Lang began his career in theater. Broadway roles include his Tony-nominated performance as Lou in "The Speed of Darkness", Happy in the Dustin Hoffman revival of "Death of a Salesman", Colonel Nathan Jessep in "A Few Good Men", and Mike Tallman alongside Quentin Tarantino and Marisa Tomei in "Wait Until Dark".

Off-Broadway credits include John Patrick Shanley's "Defiance", Anne Nelson's "The Guys", Arthur Miller's "Finishing the Picture" and his own play, "Beyond Glory", for which he received numerous accolades. The play premiered in Washington, D.C. and has played the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, the Roundabout in New York City and a USO tour to various military bases and battleships around the world. In the fall of 2010, Lang received the Patriot Award from the Medal of Honor Society in honor of his theatrical and charitable works for the United States military.

Television and film credits include celebrated performances as Babe Ruth in Babe Ruth (1991), Stonewall Jackson in Gods and Generals (2003) as well as acclaimed performances in Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), Tombstone (1993), Gettysburg (1993), Public Enemies (2009), The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009), Michael Mann's hit TV show Crime Story (1986) , the NBC revival of The Fugitive (2000), featuring Tim Daly, and Fox's sci-fi epic Terra Nova (2011).

He has been nominated for and won numerous awards including the Grace Prize, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Helen Hayes, and Tony Awards, as well as acting prizes at 2010's VisionFest and the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival.

Stephen was born in New York City, New York, to Theresa (Volmer) and Eugene Lang, a prominent businessperson and philanthropist. He is of Hungarian Jewish-German Jewish (father) and Irish-German Catholic (mother) descent. He is married to Kristina Watson, a costume designer and teacher, with whom he has four children.

Joan Allen was born on August 20, 1956 in Rochelle, Illinois, the youngest of four children. She is the daughter of homemaker Dorothea Marie (Wirth) and gas station owner James Jefferson Allen. Her mother's family was German, and her father had English, Scots-Irish, and German ancestry. She attended Rochelle Township High School where she was voted most likely to succeed. Joining Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 1977, she was one of the group's original members and starred in a number of its original productions. Her first major film credits included two critically-lauded supporting performances that showcased her versatility: a comedic turn in the suburban murder mystery Compromising Positions (1985) and a dramatic role as a blind woman befriended by a serial killer in Manhunter (1986). Around the same time, Allen was making a name for herself on the New York stage; she would eventually become one of the New York theater world's most honored actresses and a winner of every major prize for her work on Broadway and off. She received a Best Actress Tony Award in 1988 for her performance, opposite John Malkovich, in Lanford Wilson's Burn This and was Tony-nominated in the same category in 1989 for the title role in The Heidi Chronicles.

Continuing her work in film as well, Allen received her first Academy Award nomination for her role as Pat Nixon in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995), for which she also won awards from seven critics' associations, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics. Allen received her second consecutive Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Arthur Miller's The Crucible (1996). Subsequently, her work in The Ice Storm (1997), opposite Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver, and in Pleasantville (1998), opposite William H. Macy and Jeff Daniels, earned her high praise and several critics' awards; she also co-starred in the action blockbuster Face/Off (1997) opposite John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. For her starring role in The Contender (2000), Allen received Best Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards, the SAG Awards, and the Independent Spirit Awards.

Throughout the early 2000s Allen worked in both film and television, with roles in three of the Bourne films - The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), and The Bourne Legacy (2012) - as well as The Notebook (2004), The Upside of Anger (2005), and Death Race (2008). Allen also received Emmy nominations for The Mists of Avalon (2001) and for the title role in the biopic Georgia O'Keeffe (2009), for which she was also executive producer. She was also recently seen in HBO's drama series Luck (2011).

Allen married actor Peter Friedman in 1990, and the two divorced in 2002; Allen's daughter Sadie was born in 1994.

Christopher Nash Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer. He appeared in comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1988), created and starred in the comedy series Get a Life (1990-1992) on Fox, and wrote and starred in the film Cabin Boy (1994). His writing has won four consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards. His other television appearances include recurring roles on Everybody Loves Raymond (2003-2005) and How I Met Your Mother (2009-2014), starring as Chris Monsanto in Adult Swim's Eagleheart (2011-2014) and starring as Roland Schitt in Schitt's Creek (2015-2020). He also appeared in the films Groundhog Day (1993), There's Something About Mary (1998), Snow Day (2000) and Scary Movie 2 (2001).

William Petersen was born on 21 February 1953 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Manhunter (1986) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000). He has been married to Gina Cirone since 14 June 2003. They have two children. He was previously married to Joanne Brady.

Frankie Faison was born on 10 June 1949 in Newport News, Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for Coming to America (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989) and White Chicks (2004). He is married to Samantha Jupiter Faison. He was previously married to Jane Mandel.

Dennis Farina was one of Hollywood's busiest actors and a familiar face to moviegoers and television viewers alike. Recently, he appeared in the feature films, "The Grand," a comedy about a Vegas poker tournament with Woody Harrelson, Cheryl Hines and Ray Romano; "Bottle Shock," also starring Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman and Bradley Whitford; and Fox's "What Happens in Vegas," in which Dennis starred as Cameron Diaz's boss. Farina also appeared on the NBC series "Law and Order" and in the HBO miniseries, "Empire Falls," for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Mini-Series.

Farina is well remembered for his role in memorable features such as Steven Soderbergh's "Out of Sight," in which he played the retired lawman father of Jennifer Lopez's character. This was Farina's second outing in an Elmore Leonard best seller, the previous one being "Get Shorty," directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and co-starring John Travolta, Rene Russo and Gene Hackman. Farina received an American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Male for his performance as "Ray 'Bones' Barboni."

In 1998's "Saving Private Ryan," directed by Steven Spielberg, Farina played "Col. Anderson," a pivotal role in the film. It is this character who convinces Tom Hanks character to lead a squad deep into Nazi territory to rescue "Pvt. Ryan." He also co-starred with Brad Pitt and Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro in the darkly comedic crime drama "Snatch," directed by Guy Ritchie.

Farina's numerous other screen credits include John Frankenheimer's "Reindeer Games," "Paparazzi," Martin Brest's "Midnight Run," the Michael Mann film "Manhunter", among many other feature films. Farina is also recognized for his role in the critically acclaimed television series, NBC's "Crime Story". A veteran of the Chicago theater, Farina has appeared in Joseph Mantegna's "Bleacher Bums," and "A Prayer For My Daughter," directed by John Malkovich, and many others. He died on July 22, 2013 in Scottsdale, Arizona at age 69.

Offbeat character actor Tom Noonan, born in Connecticut on April 12, 1951, started off his career in various theater troupes that utilized his skills as a guitarist and composer. A graduate from Yale's acting school, he founded the Paradise Theatre in 1983, which was instrumental later in his growth as an artist.

Gravitating toward film and TV in the 80s, he began appearing regularly in edgy, unsympathetic roles, most notably as the "Tooth Fairy" serial killer in Manhunter (1986) which was the first feature length film to introduce the infamous Hannibal Lector character. Most of his other work at this time was solid but unrewarding, including such looming parts in Easy Money (1983), Best Defense (1984), The Monster Squad (1987) and RoboCop 2 (1990), so he began to take classes in writing and directing in order to extend himself.

In the mid-90s, by appearing in a number of mainstream parts, he was able to finance his own first play-turned-art house film project What Happened Was... (1994), which became the darling of the Sundance Film Festival that year and won the Grand Jury Prize, not to mention an Independent Spirit nomination. He filmed it in eleven days at a cost of $300,000, and managed to edit it only hours before the Sundance deadline. The success of the two character film, which starred Tom and Karen Sillas as an awkward couple on their first date, induced Tom to finance another film, The Wife (1995), based on his Obie-winning (for writing) play "Wifey", which co-starred Tom with Julie Hagerty, Wallace Shawn and his one-time wife Karen Young. This film, which was warmly received at the Sundance Festival as well, was barely released theatrically, however, as was his third hands-on feature Wang Dang (1999).

Notable 90s TV work included roles in The X-Files (1993) and the miniseries North & South: Book 3, Heaven & Hell (1994), in which he also composed the score. Into the millennium, Tom was seen in such films as The Egoists (2003), Madness and Genius (2003), Seraphim Falls (2006), The Alphabet Killer (2008), The House of the Devil (2009), Night of the Wolf (2014), The Shape of Something Squashed (2014) and Wonderstruck (2017). TV offerings included "CSI," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and recurring roles on Damages (2007) (as Detective Huntley), Hell on Wheels (2011) (as Reverend Cole) and 12 Monkeys (2015) (as Pallid Man).

The New York-based actor continues to perform as well as teach acting at the Paradise Theatre, where many of his plays-turned-films got off the ground. He has also written short works of fiction.

Named one of People Magazine's highly coveted 50 Most Beautiful, award nominated, Haitian-born actress Garcelle Beauvais immigrated to the United States at the age of seven with her mother and sisters and has since charmed audiences with her dramatic and comedic abilities. Balancing perfectly between the small screen and big screen, this cultural icon proudly became the first Black cast member on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" (2020). Cementing her status as a media queen, she released a memoir titled Love Me as I Am (Harper Collins) about life, love, and the pursuit of true happiness. It quickly rose in the ranks, landing in the #1 spot on Amazon and garnering a great deal of press attention including Good Morning America, Nightline, and PEOPLE Magazine. Most recently she expanded her empire to include a home line with HSN called "Garcelle at Home." Garcelle has expanded her career with a Lifetime partnership to executive producer original titles, including most recently the award-winning film "Black Girl Missing" (2023) and it's second installment "Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie" (July 20, 2024) and "Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted By Love" (August 17, 2024).

A look back at Garcelle's career shows a hybrid of businesswoman and mother who has been a cherished face in Hollywood for over three decades. She got her start in 90s comedies "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "The Jamie Foxx Show." She went on to appear in television on series such as SyFy's "The Magicians," NBC's "Chicago Med," "NYPD Blue," "Franklin & Bash," HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Arrested Development," "Power" on Starz and many others. In addition to scripted TV, she co-hosted on Fox's daytime talk-show "Hollywood Today Live," where she broke down the latest in entertainment, pop culture, and celebrity news, as well co-hosting for E!'s "Fashion Police," and "Access Hollywood Live" on NBC. On the voiceover side of work, Garcelle was heard in HBO Max's "The Prince" with Gary Janetti. Recently, she wrapped her final season on the multi-award-winning talk show Fox's "The Real" as co-host.

She could also recently be seen in Netflix's "Survival of the Thickest" and Hulu's "The Other Black Girl." Working in film has always been a passion for Garcelle. She has starred in box office hits "White House Down" with Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum as the First Lady of the United States, "Flight" with Denzel Washington, "American Gun" with Forrest Whitaker, "Coming to America" (1988), and the sequel "Coming 2 America" (2021) where she worked once again with Eddie Murphy, "Bad Company" with Chris Rock, "Barbershop 2: Back in Business" with Queen Latifah, and "Spider-Man: Homecoming" with Tom Holland, among others.

Above all, Garcelle's most important job is being a mother. She was inspired by motherhood to write a children's book series entitled I AM, addressing identity issues relevant to many children today. There are three successful books in the series. The book series was re-released in April 2020 for its fifth anniversary. Garcelle is an ambassador for Cybersmile, a multi-award-winning nonprofit organization committed to digital well being and tackling all forms of bullying and abuse online and she also supports the Step Up Women's Network, a national non-profit that empowers women and girls to be strong and reach their full potential. She is also an active supporter of UNICEF and CORE, raising money for Haiti. Garcelle also supports the W.K. Kellogg Foundation "Pockets of Hope" campaign focused on the investment in locally led initiatives that are building a strong and equitable future for Haitian children, families and communities.

She resides in Los Angeles and has three sons; Oliver, her firstborn who has made her a proud grandmother and her twins, Jax and Jaid.

Dan Butler was born on 2 December 1954 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Frasier (1993) and The Fan (1996). He has been married to Richard Waterhouse since 12 September 2010.

Connecticut native Kim Greist spent her late teen years in Europe as a professional model. She returned to the US at age 20 and launched an acting career in the off-Broadway comedy "Second Prize: Two Months in Leningrad"; her later stage credits included appearances in the New York Shakespeare Festival. In 1984, Greist made her movie bow in the scuzzy horror epic C.H.U.D. (1984); the following year, she was cast in what remains her best film role, the elusive blonde fantasy girl of futuristic bureaucrat Jonathan Pryce in director Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985). Greist has continued to appear in films and television into the 1990s, with substantial roles in such productions as Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) and Roswell (1994).

Connecticut-born actor Bill Smitrovich (on May 16, 1947) started his acting career rather late. A Masters degree holder from Smith College and a former acting teacher at the University of Massachusetts, the hefty actor earned his big break in an understudy role in the world premiere of Arthur Miller's "The American Clock" at the Spoleto Festival, a production that went to Broadway. Other stage parts have included "Food from Trash," "Requiem for a Heavyweight," "Far East" and "Frankie & Johnny at the Claire de Lune." Bill was a founding member of the No Theatre Company, now in association with the Wooster Group, whose members included Willem Dafoe and the late Spalding Gray. Bill made his 1978 New York debut in the company's production of "The Elephant Man."

In the early 1980s he started tackling film and TV roles, often playing good cops and assorted villainous types. He made his film debut in a small role in A Little Sex (1982) and went on to play a prime part in the TV-movie pilot of Miami Vice (1984). A co-starring detective part on the series Crime Story (1986) led to more visibility. He finally became a household face (if not quite a name) as former construction worker-turned-restaurateur Drew Thatcher, the father of three on the critically acclaimed dramatic series Life Goes On (1989). Co-starring with Patti LuPone (of "Evita" fame), they played parents to a son born with Down Syndrome (portrayed by Chris Burke). The much-admired family-oriented show, which went on to deal with other topical themes such as AIDS, lasted four seasons.

Since then Bill has involved himself in raising public consciousness and sensitivity of Down Syndrome. He has hosted the annual "Life Goes On Celebrity Golf Classic" for the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles. Following this TV success, Bill co-starred on the A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001) with Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin, had a recurring chief prosecutor role on The Practice (1997) and played a lieutenant in the Fox hit series Millennium (1996). His many film roles include Key Exchange (1985), Renegades (1989), The Trigger Effect (1996) with Dermot Mulroney, Independence Day (1996) with Will Smith, a strong role as a public defender in Rob Reiner's Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Air Force One (1997) and, more recently, as a general in Kevin Costner's Cuban Missile Crisis drama Thirteen Days (2000). He also played Alexander Haig in the TV-movie biopic on Ronald Reagan starring James Brolin and Judy Davis.

Married to Shaw Purnell and the father of two, he has played a number of high-ranking officials, both good or corrupt, over the years. Most of Bill's recent work into the millennium has been on the small screen with guest appearances on such popular shows as "Nash Bridges," "NYPD Blue," "24," "Numb3rs," "Law and Order," "Criminal Minds," "Brothers & Sisters," "Desperate Housewives," "Boston Legal," "Castle," "Californication," "Two and a Half Men" and "Grey's Anatomy," with regular/recurring roles on such series as The Practice (1997), Without a Trace (2002), The Event (2010), The Last Ship (2014) Dynasty (2017). Occasional big screen supports include Thirteen Days (2000), Iron Man (2008), The Rum Diary (2011),Eagle Eye (2008), Ted (2012) and its sequel Ted 2 (2015), The November Man (2014), Bitch (2017) and Valley of Bones (2017)

A tall, imposing character actor with a penetrating stare, Marshall Bell has provided excellent support in a variety of roles and genres. He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on September 28, 1942, and had been working as a consultant, teaching senior executives how to improve their speaking skills, prior to starting an acting career relatively late in life. His connection was his wife, the veteran costume designer Milena Canonero, herself a winner of three Academy Awards and nominee for five more. He made his motion picture debut in the drama Birdy (1984), which was seen by enough people to effectively jump-start his career. One of his next few roles was one of his most infamous: the creepy Coach Schneider of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985). But the role that really got him noticed was as resistance leader George / Kuato in Total Recall (1990) (the role re-united him with Arnold Schwarzenegger, as he'd played a hit man in the comedy Twins (1988)). Other substantial film roles include a frightening homeless man terrorizing Bill Paxton in the movie The Vagrant (1992), Gordies' emotionally distant father in Stand by Me (1986), and General Owen in the movie Starship Troopers (1997), re-uniting him with "Total Recall" director Paul Verhoeven. He's done many TV series, including Good vs Evil (1999), Wiseguy (1987), The X-Files (1993), Tales from the Crypt (1989), Hill Street Blues (1981), House (2004), and Deadwood (2004). He's also appeared in commercials and done voice-over work.

A solid, reliable actor with an authoritative presence, Bell is a natural for playing "tough guy" roles, although movies like Airheads (1994) show him to be able to play comedy equally well. He continues to add many credits to his resume, including the critically acclaimed Capote (2005), the prisoner of war drama Rescue Dawn (2006), and the family film Nancy Drew (2007).

Ms. Charbonneau has been a professional actor for over twenty years. Patricia's training began with Fred Karamen from the acclaimed Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, as well as with Winn Handman of the American Place Theater. Ms. Charbonneau has been seen in over thirty films and television series; she has worked with Oscar winning directors William Friedkin and Michael Mann. Ms. Charbonneau was nominated for the Independent Sprit Award for her ground-breaking performance in the film Desert Hearts (1985). Patricia has co-starred with William Peterson, Stanley Tucci, Julie Andrews, Sam Waterston, Diane Weist, and James Garner. Patricia honed her craft performing in classics as well as new American plays in New York, Los Angeles Europe and Australia. Ms. Charbonneau has been passionate about introducing theater to children and young adults. She has taught workshops for the Santa Monica School District, The American Film Institute children's division and the Addison Witt Studios in Los Angeles.

Annie McEnroe was born on 3 September 1955. She is an actress, known for Beetlejuice (1988), Battletruck (1982) and The Hebrew Hammer (2003). She was previously married to Edward R. Pressman.

Michael Talbott was born on 2 February 1955 in Waverly, Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for Miami Vice (1984), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) and Carrie (1976).

John is a graduate of the University of Florida. He has worked extensively in television, film and stage in Los Angeles since 1986.

For nearly twenty years, he has traveled throughout the country performing his critically acclaimed one-man show, Father, Son & Holy Coach, which is the tale of a father who wants a do-over in life and is determined to do so vicariously through his son. Posey seamlessly portrays two dozen different people during the production. It may be the only theatrical production where you see an actor wrestle with himself and lose.

He has worked extensively in the voice-over market and has shot or voiced more than 200 television commercials.

As a screenwriter, John has written screenplays for SONY, Disney and HBO. His film Legendary, starring Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover was released in the Fall of 2010.

His biopic about the famed 1940s-'50s cultural icon "Gorgeous George" is set up at WWE Studios.

John teaches scene study in L.A., is a speech writer and has also created original syndicated programming for radio.

He was born John Sanford Posey in Hartford, Connecticut, to Joan (Armstrong) and William McCutcheon Posey, Jr. He is Pops to actor Tyler Posey and Jesse Posey. . He was married to Cyndi, prior to her passing in 2014. He married Amy Lord in 2020.

Dino De Laurentiis left home at age 17 to enrol in film school, supporting himself as an actor, extra, propman, or any other job he could get in the film industry. His persistence paid off, and by the time he reached his 20th birthday he already had one produced film under his belt. After serving in the Italian army during World War II, De Laurentiis went back into film production, and in 1946 scored a critical and commercial international hit with Bitter Rice (1949) ("Bitter Rice"). He later married its star, Silvana Mangano. De Laurentiis eventually formed a partnership with producer Carlo Ponti, and the team had a string of hits, including several by director Federico Fellini. After the partnership dissolved, De Laurentiis embarked on a plan to build his own studio facilities, which would enable him to make the kind of massive spectacles he wanted to make. The studio complex, called Dinocitta', eventually was forced to close down due to a combination of hard times in the Italian film industry and a string of flops by De Laurentiis himself. De Laurentiis eventually sold the property to the Italian government and moved his base of production to the United States. He again opened up a film production complex in Wilmington, North Carolina, called DEG Studios, but was eventually forced by economic conditions to sell that, too. De Laurentiis has had some critical successes since his move to the U.S. (Ragtime (1981)), but most of his U.S. productions have been critically lambasted, although several have been commercial successes.

Kristin Clotilde Darnell (born 1951 as Kristin Clotilde Holby in Oslo, Norway) is an American actress and during the late 1970s through the 1980s was a very successful model for Yves St. Laurent, Ralph Lauren, Givenchy, Chanel and Shiseido. She is married to Dr. James Darnell and is mother to 3 now grown children the youngest are twin daughters Phoebe and Camilla.

Colleen Atwood was born on 25 September 1948 in Ellensburg, Washington, USA. She is a costume designer, known for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and Chicago (2002).

Thomas Harris was born in 1940 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. He was raised in the town of Rich where his father worked as a farmer. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from Baylor University in Texas in 1964. While attending school, he also worked for the local newspaper.

After graduating, Harris traveled Europe for a time. Back in the USA, he worked for the Associated Press out of New York. Not coincidentally, his duties for the press included covering murders and other crimes. This helped fuel his imagination in the fictional world, and he began to write macabre stories for magazines that began to show his attention for detail that would make his subsequent novels so popular.

In 1975, he wrote his first novel, Black Sunday, about a diabolical plot to kill thousands with a blimp during the Superbowl. Perhaps ahead of his time, the terrorism of 11 September, 2001, led to many stadiums being turned into no-fly zones due to fears of a similar attack. The book was turned into a film -- Black Sunday (1977) -- a very short two years after being published. Following its success, he devoted his career entirely to fictional novelization.

In 1981, Harris wrote his first book in the Hannibal Lecter trilogy, Red Dragon. Though the character of Lecter did not become famous (or infamous, as the case may be) for another decade, the book did spark a loosely-based movie, Manhunter (1986), which was quickly dismissed at first, grossing back only about half its cost. Then, in 1988, Harris wrote another novel about the character Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs. This time, he gave the character more of a presence, although he still did not dominate the book. When this was turned into a film three years later as The Silence of the Lambs (1991), it became an instant hit and swept the "Big 5" at the Academy Awards, becoming only the third movie to do so.

After the success of The Silence of the Lambs in both movie and book form, there became a growing demand among fans - and film producer Dino De Laurentiis -- for there to be another chapter in the Hannibal Lector series. It took 11 years between novels, but Harris finally delivered again in 1999 with the best-selling novel Hannibal. It was made into a film two years later in Hannibal (2001) and, although dismissed by some critics and fans for straying from the book in parts (as well as Jodie Foster's non-appearance as Agent Clarisse Starling), it set opening records in box office sales for an R-rated film.

Because of the large box office take and the fact that Anthony Hopkins, who won an Oscar for his role in the second Lecter film, did not play Lecter in Manhunter (1986), De Laurentis and Harris came to terms to make a second version of the first book, this time properly titled Red Dragon (2002). This film version was more in keeping with the book than the first film was.

Unable to escape from being known as the man who created Lecter, Harris again agreed to make not only another novel on the character, but to write the material for the film adaption as well. The current working title is Behind the Mask. As of 2005, Harris resides in Miami, Florida, and Sag Harbor, New York, USA.

Kin Shriner was born on 6 December 1953 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for General Hospital (1963), Port Charles (1997) and Manhunter (1986).

Michael D. Roberts was born on December 25, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York. A wealthy Manhattan furniture designer gave the generous gift of cribs, blankets, toys and a year supply of milk to the first ten babies of post war veterans born on Christmas Day; and Michael was one of them.

At twelve years old Michael had his first major stage appearance in a theatre production at his local church. It was then that his passion for acting was born. In high school Michael enrolled in the drama program, and after graduating attended Los Angeles City College where he continued his study in the dramatic arts. Later, Michael attended USIU School of Performing Arts in San Diego and in his final year of study attended the prestigious California Institute of the Arts.

One of Michael's first television appearances was on The Flip Wilson Show (1971). Through the 1970s he appeared on such popular television shows as, Good Times (1974) and The Incredible Hulk (1979).

One of Michael's most memorable roles was the jive-talking street-hustler, "Rooster", on the hit TV series Baretta, (1975). A role that garnered high accolades for Michael in Hollywood and the adoration of many fans. Into the1980s Michael's career showed no signs of slowing; with guest starring roles on B.J. and the Bear (1980), Bosom Buddies (1981), The Fall Guy (1982) and the season premiere of Knight Rider (1982).

It was in 1984 that Michael starred in the science fiction adventure The Ice Pirates along side actors Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy), Anjelica Huston (The Adams Family) and Robert Urich (Vega$). In 1988 Michael landed the roll of Vern in the Oscar winning film Rain Man directed by Barry Levinson and starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

Through the 1990s and into the 2000s Michael's prolific acting career continued with guest star appearances on Seinfeld (1996) and Friends (2000). In 2005 Michael co-starred in the high-octane drama, Hostage, starring Bruce Willis.

In 2012, Michael was cast as "Bernard" in the television show, The First Family, from producer Byron Allen; also starring, Jackee Harry (Sister Sister, 227), Gladys Knight and John Witherspoon (Friday, The Wayans Bros).

Michael lives in Los Angeles, with his wife, actress Pamela Roberts and their 2 children.

Art Newkirk is a North Carolina native of Dutch decent. Soon after leaving the Navy he did stunts on his first film. Since then Art has worked with such notable actors as Adam Driver, Michael Shannon, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johansson, Woody Harrelson, Kiefer Sutherland and Channing Tatum to name a few.

He played a living statue in Francis Ford Coppola's, "Megalopolis" and also worked on Clint Eastwood's latest film, "Juror #2" where he played the father of Clint's real daughter, Francesca Eastwood. Coming up for Art is the movie, "Golden" where he plays a Sheriff in the Pherell Williams music bio-pic where he has scenes with Oscar winner Joy DeVine Rudolph and the movie, "Bride Hard" with Rebel Wilson where he played Demetri, a waiter/mercenary.

Art is a musician and enjoys singing and music along with spending time with his family.

His son Logan Newkirk and daughter Luciana Newkirk are also actors.